Brave
by TheBlindGoddess
Summary: Different people, similar paths. Both are hurting but they find solace in each other's company. Not necessarily romantic, but as real as it can be while there are still titans roaming around.
1. Chapter 1

Don't own anything.

* * *

" _If you're not there for them, don't expect them to be there for you."_

She needed to get out of here. The forest, her only home, was suffocating her. It reminded her of everything she was and everything she wasn't. Moonlight beams shining through the thick forest canopy were her only source of light. With a bag slung over her back, Sasha briskly walked to the stables. She stopped at the sight of her bow and arrows resting over a tree stump. She kneeled before it and studied the items. Her hands ran over the wooden bow. It was smooth to the touch from her frequent hunting trips.

 ***snap***

Her back became as taut as the string of the bow in her hands. She couldn't deal with anyone tonight. She needed to leave. Disregarding the noise, Sasha leapt from her crouched position and ran as fast as her legs would carry her.

The young teen hastily reached the stable and saddled her horse. Holding the reins, she led the horse to the village's outskirts. She could see where the forest ended and the rest of the world began. Panic and apprehension endlessly ran through her.

She could go back. She could pretend she never did this. She could return her horse to the stables. She could slip into bed and wake up tomorrow - hoping that a good hunt would come across her. She still had time. A salty droplet reached her mouth. She hadn't even realized she started crying.

" _Sasha, are you that much of a coward?"_

 _No._ She wasn't. Shakily mounting her horse, Sasha Braus sped into the night without another look back.

* * *

 _She made it_. She arrived for military recruitment in the nick of time. After signing the designated paperwork, Sasha was led to a room for the physical medical examination. Stripped of her clothes, excluding her undergarments, she stood in a line waiting to be examined.

Sasha had always been lean. Her years of exploring the forest around Dauper and hunting game made great fitness exercises. Yet, in the past year she had seen her body conform to the dire times. Since the Fall of Shiganshina, more refugees had kept coming to Dauper and its surrounding areas. More refugees meant less food for her. The female recruits around her seemed better off than her. They were probably from the city. Sasha almost scowled at the thought. She never did like city folk. Many believed their lifestyle to be better than hers. No matter how she felt about them, she would help them reclaim their land. Even if only to get them off of hers. _She would be brave…_

"Next!" A nurse in a white coat hollered. The woman motioned Sasha to come into another room. "Name, cadet?"

"Sasha Braus, ma'am," Sasha recited as she was led to a scale.

"55 kilograms," the nurse scribbled on a board. "168 centimeters, hmm," The older lady carried on, mostly talking to herself. "A bit thin…" mumbled the nurse. "But not enough to cause worry. You've passed the exam. You're official, cadet. Now, get going."

This was the first step and she had done it - she had passed! She was going to help humanity reclaim their land. Even if her life was lost in the process, she would be brave.


	2. Chapter 2

First day at the training grounds did not go the way Sasha intended. The cadets had been assigned barracks and given their training uniforms. They were instructed to don the uniforms and be ready on the main field. As Sasha finished putting her boots on, she felt the growl before she heard it.

 ***raaawr***

Holding her midriff, Sasha hurried outside before the other cadets could hear it. _She definitely wouldn't make it until dinner._ In her slouched position, Sasha walked in the general direction of the main field. That's when she smelled them. _Potatoes!_

The moment Sasha spotted the steaming pile of potatoes, she only had one option. As she sneaked around, she noticed the cooks were preparing tonight's dinner and were all too preoccupied to think anything of a first year cadet. She knew the consequences would be dreadful but her stomach overpowered her brain - she foolishly went for it. Sasha casually nubbed a spud and stuffed it in her khaki colored jacket for the time being. Before she could take a bite out of it, she was been positioned among the rest of the first year cadets.

* * *

The first day of training had come and gone. Although Sasha erased most of her memory of it. After the third consecutive hour of running, she only remembered waking up in the barracks the next day. She knew what she did was wrong but she could not be faulted for being hungry. _At least he gave her an option regarding punishment_. Sasha softened her groan by placing a pillow on her face.

"Are you feeling better?" Sasha peaked an eye over her pillow - _goddess!_ A short, blonde girl was standing next to her bunk. She looked like the girl from her dream, the one that fed her a loaf of bread.

"I'm..." Sasha sat up, letting the pillow fall to her side. "I am fine. Thank you very much for asking." _Her name, what was her name?! Here's someone being nice to me and I'm being so rude!_ In her panicked mode, Sasha failed to realize she had stated her thoughts out loud for the blonde to hear. Her ramblings were cut off when she heard a giggle.

"Krista," the blonde said as she offered her hand to Sasha. "Krista Lenz." She shook Krista's offered hand.

"My name is…" Krista interrupted her before she could finish her introduction.

"Sasha Braus, I know. Well, I think everybody knows after the stunt you pulled yesterday." She finished with a smile. "I knew you were tired from running so I didn't wake you up for breakfast. I did bring you an apple and some water though." As Krista handed her the food, the door to the barracks slammed open. As Sasha began wolfing down her breakfast she noticed the person that had walked in.

"C'mon, Krista! We'll be late!" Said the sour faced brunette.

"Give me a second, Ymir!" Krista turned to Sasha. "Get ready, training will start in 10 minutes." Once again, Sasha was left alone in the barracks. The small smile on her face were definitively the result of the food and a friendly face.

* * *

By the time she made it to the training grounds, Sasha was late. _I can never do anything right! I'm such a fool!_ She would have face palmed if she could, but her tardiness led to other plans. As the first trainees were being picked to measure their omni-mobility aptitude, Instructor Shadis noticed her late arrival.

"Braus! Get over here!" Her tired legs carried her to the front of the large group of trainees. She saluted the higher up but before she could say anything, he kept talking. "I'll take it that you're late because your beauty sleep was more important than learning the basics. So, you'll be one of the first to demonstrate. Hope you're not afraid of heights, Braus."

* * *

 _840 - Dauper_

 _"Sasha, no matter how scared you are, you need to learn!" Mr. Braus yelled down at his daughter. He didn't understand how he ended with such a stubborn child._

 _"No! I don't want to AND I don't need to!" Muffled by the tree she hid behind, Sasha didn't even want to think about what her father wanted her to do. "Grandma said I could be a healer like her!"_

 _"No matter what you become, you need to overcome your fear!" He could see his daughter shaking her head against the trunk of the tree. Brimming with frustration, Mr. Braus started scaling down the tree he was perched on. Once on the ground, he headed towards Sasha. Feeling his presence approaching, Sasha retreated a couple of steps. The closer he got, the more steps she took. "Alexandra! Stop this dance right now!"_

 _He usually never called her by her full name. Stunned by his command, Sasha cowered down to hug her knees to her chest. With a loud sigh, that seemed to vent all his anger, Mr. Braus took a seat next to his daughter._

 _"Sasha, we live off the land. It feeds us and keeps us alive. There will be times where a hunt won't go as planned. If you get lost on a mountain, climb it. If you get lost in a forest, climb a tall tree. That's why I want you to learn." Seeing how she was still hunched over, he kept going. "Y'know who was afraid to climb trees? Your mother." That, finally, got Sasha's attention. "She was scared of heights. Just like you." With big, questioning eyes, Sasha turned to her dad. "Well, of course she was. Sasha, everyone is afraid of something. It's how we handle that fear that determines who we are. Y'know how she handled it? By climbing a tree."_

 _Wiping her face with her sleeve, Sasha stood up and faced her dad._

 _"Okay."_

* * *

Fully equipped and attached, a trainee began turning the lever. Sasha rose a few centimeters with each turn, until she was completely hoisted in the air. A bit awkward at first, she got the hang of it in no time. By the time the trainees on either side of her were in the air, she had straightened her legs and was swinging back and forth. Not from ineptitude but for fun.

She flashed Instructor Shadis a small, victorious smile. He only rolled his eyes at her and moved on to the next cadet. In the crowd of trainees, she could see Krista's small figure among taller ones. Krista smiled and gave her a thumbs up.

Although her training had begun with a shaky start, Sasha would give it her all for a spot in the top ten. She would defy those that doubted her. She would become a defender of humankind, just like the one her mother had named her after.


End file.
